This Pumpkin Cake is moist, tender, and so easy to make from scratch! With the perfect balance of pumpkin flavor and spices, this simple sheet cake is one of the best pumpkin spice cakes you’ll ever eat.
We love everything Pumpkin during the fall like Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies and Pumpkin Spice Muffins.
Pumpkin Cake Recipe
Pumpkin Cake with cream cheese frosting makes a great fall dessert for a crowd! Not only does this pumpkin spice cake taste so flavorful and has the perfect texture but it’s also super simple to make from scratch. You’ll love how easy this recipe is to prepare even if you are a beginner baker! Make sure to watch the video below.
I’m so excited that fall is finally here because that means it’s getting cold enough to turn the oven on whenever I like without getting a heat stroke. Yay for baking season! I might have gotten a bit overexcited so please excuse all the pumpkin recipes in the last days but I’m just so happy about the colder weather.
Even though today’s recipe is just a simple sheet cake it will likely become one of your favorite pumpkin cake recipes because it’s so delicious with a perfect balance of flavor and texture while being super easy to make! You have to try it!!
Tips and Tricks for Making this Pumpkin Spice Cake
- To make this cake a little bit healthier: Instead of 1 cup vegetable oil, try 1/2 cup (90g) unsweetened applesauce and 1/2 (120ml) cup vegetable oil.
- Instead of pumpkin spice, you can also use 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp cloves
- Did you know that shiny metal pans, dark metal pans, and glass pans cook differently? Dark pans and glass dishes cook the outside of the cake faster than shiny metal pans do. So turn the oven down 25° F when using a dark metal pan or glass bakeware.
- Also, keep in mind that every oven is different! Unless you have a regularly calibrated oven, your oven’s temperature is probably inaccurate. So keep an eye on your cake and always test with a skewer for doneness, the skewer should come out clean.
- Instead of cream cheese, you can also use the same amount of Mascarpone cheese. I love the taste of mascarpone in frosting! It is not as tangy as cream cheese and has a mild buttery flavor.
- This cake can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 4 days. Let get to room temperature before serving.
How to make Pumpkin Cake
This cake has a tender and soft texture because the eggs, sugar, and oil are beaten until the mixture is fluffy. This step is really important because there is so much pumpkin added to the batter. You want this cake to be moist but not dense and wet.
The right balance of texture and flavor makes this cake so delicious! This cake really tastes like pumpkin and not only like pumpkin spice or sugar and the texture is just perfect. Even after a few days in the fridge this easy pumpkin sheet cake still tastes fresh and not dry!
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Pumpkin Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
For the Frosting:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into pieces (225g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.
- In a medium bowl combine, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk together oil, eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar at medium-high speed until thick and creamy, about 4 minutes.
- Reduce speed to low and add pumpkin puree. Beat until combined.
- With the mixer running on low add the flour mixture in three additions. Mix until just combined. Don't overmix.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Transfer pan to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
- To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Add vanilla and powdered sugar, mix on low until combined, then increase speed to medium-high and beat for 2 minutes.
- Frost cake and serve. Cake can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. Let get to room temperature before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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If you’ve tried this or any other of my recipes, don’t forget to rate the recipe and to leave me a comment. I love hearing from you!
Kathy says
I don’t usually post comments to recipes and especially not if I have varied from the original recipe. However, I have to tell you how great the recipe was and how fantastic the cake was. I altered the recipe by using a gluten-free flour blend. That was the only variation I made. My family loved the cake and no one realized it was gluten free until I told them as I was enjoying a piece of this moist and flavorful cake. I loved the details of your instructions in the recipe, too. I’ve cooked for years and years and having these details in the recipe ensure the cake will turn out perfect. Thank you!
Julia Foerster says
Thank you so much for your comment, Kathy! It’s always helpful for other readers to know that it works with gluten-free flour.
Carolyn says
This cake is delicious. I replace the vanilla in the frosting with maple extract and it’s amazing. Currently making some into cupcakes for our Halloween party. Thank you!
Maryse says
Very moist!
Anita says
Hello! Do you know what the adjusted time would be for 2 round 8in pans?
Julia says
I would start checking for doneness after 25 min and then every 5 minutes. – Julia
BA Bonetti says
Would this work in a Bundt pan and how would you adjust the baking time?
Julia says
I haven’t tried it but it should work! I would use a 10-inch bundt pan and bake it for about 1 hour but start checking if the cake is done with a skewer after 40 minutes and then every 5-10 minutes. Hope that helps! Please share how it worked out if you give it a try!
Sues says
This cake looks so perfectly moist and flavorful! And I love all your helpful tips for baking it- great recipe!
Melissa Belanger says
This is the best pumpkin cake I’ve ever had! And, I love how easy it is since it’s a sheet cake!